Menzies College

The roll ERO recorded, and when

ERO writes a roll into each report it publishes: a count taken for that report, on the day shown, by the review team that was there. The Ministry of Education’s current roll for this school is 345 — the figure at the top of this page, and the one to use for how big the school is now. These are a different measurement by a different body, so they will rarely agree, and a difference between them is not a change in the school.

1. July 2019

   325

   Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 7 October 2019

2. March 2015

   303

   Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 26 May 2015

We draw no line between these. Each was counted for its own report, years apart, by a different review team, and a roll moves between reviews for reasons none of these figures record — so the difference between any two of them measures nothing.

What ERO wrote in its latest report

This is ERO’s report of 25 September 2024 — “School Evaluation Report” — section by section, under ERO’s own headings, in ERO’s own order. Nothing is summarised, shortened or reordered.

School Evaluation Report

Tēnā koutou e mau manawa rahi ki te kaupapa e aro ake nei, ko te tamaiti te pūtake o te kaupapa. Mā wai rā e kawe, mā tātau katoa .

We acknowledge the collective effort, responsibility and commitment by all to ensure that the child remains at the heart of the matter.

Context

Menzies College is a rural co-educational school for students in Years 7 to 13 located in Wyndham, Southland. The school’s vision for students is that they will become life-long learners who contribute to their families and communities, grow in knowledge, make connections through experiences. A new principal and senior leadership team has been appointed since the 2019 ERO report.

There are two parts to this report.

Part A: An evaluative summary of learner success and school conditions to inform the school board’s future strategic direction, including any education in Rumaki /bilingual settings.

Part B: The improvement actions prioritised for the school’s next evaluation cycle.

Part A: Current State

The following findings are to inform the school’s future priorities for improvement.

Learner Success and Wellbeing

Learning outcomes for students are increasingly excellent and equitable.

Most learners in Years 7 to 10 achieve at expected curriculum levels in reading; a majority achieve at these levels in mathematics and writing.

An increasing proportion of learners achieve National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) Levels 2 and 3; most achieve NCEA Levels 1 and 2, just over half achieve Level 3 and a third achieve University Entrance.

There was significant improvement in equity of achievement for Māori learners in national qualifications in 2023 and this is a continued focus for the school.

The majority of learners attend school regularly; the school is yet to meet Ministry of Education targets for regular attendance and continues to work with parents and the community to improve attendance.

Conditions to support learner success

Strategic leadership builds the conditions for quality teaching and positive learning and wellbeing outcomes for learners.

Leaders set and pursue relevant improvement goals that improve the achievement and wellbeing of all learners.

Leaders build trusting relationships and constructive collaborations across the school community and with the wider community (including with other education providers, employers, community groups and iwi Māori ), to enhance learning opportunities for learners and achieve the school’s strategic goals.

Leaders use evidence well to review and improve school policies, systems, processes and practices to make sure these serve the learning and wellbeing of learners.

Learners benefit from a responsive curriculum that reflects their local context and aspirations for the future.

Teachers make effective use of the local environment and community to enhance learners’ engagement in relevant and meaningful learning experiences.

Flexible structures, like timetables, enable students to pursue individualised learning pathways including vocational studies and work experience.

Teachers know learners well and use a range of effective teaching strategies to engage them in purposeful learning.

Appropriate systems and practices support student wellbeing, inclusion and transitions.

The board, leaders and teachers value parents and whānau as partners in their child’s learning and provide a range of ways for them to be well informed about engagement, learning and achievement.

Transitions into, through and out of school are well planned and supported with relevant programmes and guidance so students can access meaningful pathways.

The school has appropriate systems, programmes and practices for providing an inclusive environment for learners; leaders use a range of data to review the effectiveness of these and to respond to changing needs.

Leaders and teachers are strengthening systems and practices to remove the barriers to learning for learners who require additional or adapted teaching to have success in learning.

Part B: Where to next?

The agreed next steps for the school are to:

foster and embed effective, relational and inclusive teaching practices that remove barriers to learning for learners with different needs and that affirm and respond to learners’ cultures and identities

continue to review and strengthen the systems, programmes, processes and practices that support an inclusive and positive culture for learning for all learners

continue to work with the school’s community to improve levels of regular attendance as the foundation of success in learning.

The agreed actions for the next improvement cycle and timeframes are as follows.

Within six months:

plan and provide professional learning for teachers and teacher aides on teaching strategies to remove barriers to learning for learners with different needs

plan and provide professional learning for all staff on effective relational teaching, with a focus on improving engagement with and responsiveness to Māori learners

ensure school systems for identifying the different needs of learners and providing additional and adapted teaching to meet their needs, are robust, responsive and well-integrated with classroom teaching

support consistent implementation of the school’s values and positive relationships programmes.

Every six months:

evaluate the effectiveness of strategies for improving attendance

monitor and report on the progress and achievement of learners receiving additional and adapted teaching to experience success and use this to evaluate the effectiveness of strategies and support.

Annually:

gather and analyse learners’ perspectives on their experiences of teaching, learning, belonging and wellbeing and use this information to identify future priorities

monitor and evaluate the progress and changes in teaching as a result of professional learning and use this to prioritise future actions to embed effective practice.

Actions taken against these next steps are expected to result in:

all learners having equitable access to learning and experiencing success

Māori learners continuing to have equitable engagement, learning and wellbeing outcomes

all learners experiencing and reporting a safe, positive learning environment

improved levels of regular attendance.

ERO’s role will be to support the school in its evaluation for improvement cycle to improve outcomes for all learners. The next public report on ERO’s website will be a School Evaluation Report and is due within three years.

Me mahi tahi tonu tātau, kia whai oranga a tātau tamariki Let’s continue to work together for the greater good of all children

Shelley Booysen Director of Schools

25 September 2024

About the School

The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home

Read this report on ero.govt.nz →